Ube: Exotic purple velvet doughnut lands in O.C.

Feb. 28, 2014

Updated March 12, 2014 2:15 p.m.

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Ube cross section -- note the deep purple cake. Friendly Donuts in Orange is the only shop in Orange County to serve Ube donuts-- donuts made with purple yam or ube. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Friendly Donuts in Orange sold 2,000 in the first two days. The shop began selling ube donuts March 1. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Friendly Donuts in Orange, owned by Nancy Do and her son Alan, will be the only place in Orange County that will serve Ube donuts-- donuts made with purple yam or ube PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Friendly Donuts launches Filipino treat -- a donut dessert made from ube, or a purple yam. The donut shop uses a pancake mix by Buttermilk, a former food truck NANCY LUNA, STAFF

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Friendly Donuts also sells a variety of Dossants -- a mashup of croissants and doughnuts NANCY LUNA, STAFF

Buttermilk food truck launched in 2009 with a menu of ube and red velvet pancakes. Now the owner is selling her pancake mixes to exclusive food retailers. COURTESY BUTTERMILK

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The UBE donut is available exclusively at Friendly Donuts in Orange. The donuts are made with purple yam (ube). PAUL RODRIGUEZ, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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The UBE donut, available exclusively at Friendly Donuts in Orange, have a deep purple color that comes from the use of purple yam or ube. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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The UBE donut, available exclusively at Friendly Donuts in Orange, have a deep purple color that comes from the use of purple yam or ube. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

1 of 14

Ube cross section -- note the deep purple cake NANCY LUNA, STAFF

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Friendly Donuts in Orange, owned by Nancy Do and her son Alan, will be the only place in Orange County that will serve Ube donuts -- donuts made with purple yam or ube. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ube cross section -- note the deep purple cake. Friendly Donuts in Orange is the only shop in Orange County to serve Ube donuts-- donuts made with purple yam or ube. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Dunkin' Donut invasion

What: East Coast institution Dunkin' Donuts plans to open roughly 50 shops in Southern California. Most stores are expected to arrive in 2015. However, one shop in Barstow opened last fall, and plans are in the works for another shop to open later this year in Long Beach.

History: Dunkin' had about a dozen shops in California the late 1990s. About two years ago, a new Dunkin' shop opened on the grounds of Camp Pendleton Marine. Access to civilians is limited.

Source: Register archives

A family-run food shop has found a secret weapon in the doughnut wars, which are sure to heat up when East Coast giant Dunkin’ Donuts arrives in Orange County.

Behold the ube doughnut.

Ube, a deep purple yam, is a widely used in the Philippines for desserts and pastries – the same way pumpkin is brought to life in muffins and pies in bakeries across America. On Saturday, Friendly Donuts in Orange debuts two ube cake doughnuts made from pancake batter created by Los Angeles-based Buttermilk, a former popular food truck in Southern California. (3/4 update: Over the weekend, the shop sold 2,000 donuts)

Nancy and Sean Do, owner of Friendly Donuts for 28 years, are mixing their proprietary cake batter with Buttermilk’s ube pancake mix to create two cake doughnuts. One is a standard glaze; the other is an organic blueberry glazed doughnut.

Both are fried in high-temperature oil – giving your palate a one-two texture punch. It’s crunchy on the outside but dense and moist on the inside – a not-so sweet version of red velvet cake.

Buttermilk owner Gigi Pascual said ube, a “gorgeous purple yam”, is often blended with spices and sugar.

“Its taste is subtle but when paired correctly and used uniquely it's delicious and a show stopper,” she said.

Pascual, a pastry chef, put ube on the map in Los Angeles and Orange County when she launched the Buttermilk truck in 2009. The gourmet truck drew long lines for its ube- and red velvet-flavored pancakes. She retired the truck in November to focus on bringing the exotic Filipino flavor to the masses through her L.A. wholesale business.

While some bakeries use ube in various pastries, Pascual said her company is working with exclusive partners “to push the envelope by using ube in all sorts of desserts, not just cakes.”

Besides, Friendly Donuts in Orange, she is working with DK's Donuts & Bakery in Santa Monica. The shop recently debuted Ube crumb cake donuts and an Ube muffin.

Alan Do, whose parents run Friendly Donuts, said the shop is “always trying to come up with new doughnuts” to stay on trends. Last summer, the store debuted Dossants, a croissant-doughnut mash up that became popular in New York. The 24-hour shop, at 4442 E. Chapman Ave., is also known for its strawberry-filled cream doughnuts.

The ube cake doughnuts sell for $1.50 for the standard glaze and $1.65 for the organic blueberry glaze.

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